Police in Iowa are always on the lookout for drivers they believe may be intoxicated. Officers get extensive legal and practical training in their unceasing search for drivers operating while impaired. Periodically, news outlets will report various training sessions that police use to try to make officers better and more efficient at arresting suspected drunk drivers.
Just such a training session apparently happened a few weeks ago here in Iowa, according to news reports. The session's sponsors said that officers attended an advanced class that sought to make them completely proficient in administering field sobriety tests. Officers were also apparently trained in drug impaired driving and in estimating the blood alcohol content of drivers.
The sponsors said that drug-impaired drivers are now encountered about as often as drunk drivers. They said that officers see motorists under the influence of illicit drugs and other motorists under the influence of prescription drugs.
Police training is necessary because police sometimes make bad investigatory decisions that severely damage the state's case in an OWI prosecution. For example, if the police make an illegal stop - where they lack probable cause to stop a driver - any evidence of drunk driving may be excluded from court. Suspects also have the right to remain silent and the right to speak to an attorney. If these rights are violated, the police's evidence may not be admissible in court. A good OWI defense lawyer can investigate the details of an OWI stop and fight on behalf of their client if their client's rights have been trampled on.